City IT specialist collaborates behind the scenes to assist EPIC frontline team
09 June 2020
Being part of the EPIC team, allows me to make a positive contribution and a real difference to the lives of the City’s front line heroes
Muneeb Galant, is a SAP Integration Specialist working in the City’s Information Systems and Technology (IS&T) department, with the Emergency Policing Incident Control (EPIC) team.
‘Being part of the EPIC team, allows me to make a positive contribution and a real difference to the lives of the City’s front line heroes. I work closely with a team of IS&T resources, who are mostly contractors, to provide guidance on IS&T processes as well as ensuring that the solutions they plan to implement is in line with the overall vision of the EPIC programme.
‘Before the lockdown, my normal day included working with project teams at the Civic Centre, engaging with businesses at the Transport Management Centre, and mentoring the support team to ensure that daily tasks are completed.
‘The lockdown has changed the normal day-to-day business, because we now have to connect and stay in touch via Skype to ensure that no one is working in silos. Collaboration has been key – we encourage everyone to communicate clearly and everyone in the team is aware of each other’s responsibilities and tasks for the day.
‘The pandemic has also thumped our communities and most certainly shifted our focus and increased our workload. We’ve had to establish new ways to best support the Safety and Security directorate in order to improve their operations. As an example, we recently rolled out a spatial dashboard to highlight COVID-19 related incidents around the City. We want to be able to assist the business in any way possible to ensure that the front line staff have all the tools available to be able to make their jobs easier and more effective as well as ensuring they remain safe. For us, it is important we keep the EPIC system up and running and ensure that basic functionality works and that everyone is enabled to perform their tasks as effectively as possible.’
The EPIC programme has multiple projects underway and Muneeb tries to keep in touch with all the project teams to better understand how these projects fit together as they are managed independently.
‘It is also worth mentioning that the EPIC team has been especially more productive and collaborative during this time. Even though we are separated, we are really working better as a team.
‘However, this has not been without challenges - the lockdown has us in confined spaces for the whole day, which can be mentally and emotionally challenging.
‘While I recognise that being able to work remotely is a privilege, it is also important to find the balance between working and spending time on other activities. The lockdown has definitely taken away spontaneous coffee breaks and face to face interactions, something I really miss.
‘The lessons I’ve learned during this time is to be grateful for your health, to appreciate quality time with family, to be thankful for having a job and that teachers definitely have a lot more patience than I have.’
The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Corporate Services, Councillor Sharon Cottle said Muneeb’s approach to his work was inspirational.
‘This is another positive story to emerge from the City’s Information Systems and Technology (IS&T) department during lockdown. His expertise and experience add value at a time when it is most needed. We have had to adapt very quickly to a new way of functioning and Muneeb and his team are providing an invaluable support service by ensuring that systems run efficiently. Through their dedication and the application of their skills, they are making an important contribution to maintaining service excellence,’ said Councillor Cottle.
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
